Will Joe Biden be the 2020 Democratic nominee?

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Now that Michael Flynn has been forced out as national security adviser, Andrew Puzder has had to withdraw his name from nomination for labor secretary and Betsy DeVos was so unpopular as to have needed the vice president to break a tie vote on her confirmation as education secretary, one wonders whether the Trump administration will learn anything from these debacles.

Might the administration begin to consider exclusively appointing individuals who are well-suited to the positions for which they are being considered? Might we expect that a national security adviser would be a reasonable, rational person rather than a conspiracy theorist who has demonstrated contempt for all Muslims? Could we hope for a labor secretary who is not anti-labor, someone who has comported himself as a respectful, decent human being, and paid his tax obligations when due? Is it too much to ask that someone who would preside over public education know something about the subject and be able to answer simple questions posed by members of the committee being asked to recommend the nomination to the full Senate?

President Trump and chief strategist Stephen K. Bannon can rant and rave all they want about how unfair the media, the administration’s prime enemy, has been to the president, those the administration and those who aspire to join it. Mr. Trump can attempt to pack White House press conferences with media members who are friendly to him, and he can give them priority for the ability to ask questions, but he cannot fool all of the people all of the time.

Had it not been for the media, we would not have known all the sordid details of these heavily flawed Trump nominees. May we never elect to shoot the messenger.